| Design: S2-S2-AQ1 |
American
Shipbuilding Company, Lorain, Ohio |
| Patrol Frigate /
PF |
MC-1481 to 1484 and
1965 to 1966 (Reciprocating Steam / 6 built) USS Annapolis PF-15, USS Bangor PF-16,
USS Key West PF-17, USS Alexandria PF-18, USS Lorain PF-93, USS Milledgeville PF-94 / (MC-1967 to 1970
cancelled) |
|
American
Shipbuilding Company, Cleveland, Ohio |
|
MC-1485 to 1487 and
1971 to 1974 (Reciprocating Steam / 7 built) USS Huron PF-19, USS Gulfport PF-20,
USS Bayonne PF-21, USS Orlando PF-99, USS Racine PF-100, USS Greensboro PF-101,
USS Forsyth PF-102 / (MC-1975 to 1981
cancelled) |
|
Walter Butler
Shipbuilders Inc., Superior, Wisconsin |
|
MC-1433 to 1444 (Reciprocating
Steam / 12
built) USS Gloucester PF-22, USS Shreveport PF-23, USS Muskegon PF-24, USS
Charlottesville
PF-25, USS Poughkeepsie PF-26, USS Newport PF-27, USS Emporia PF-28, USS Groton PF-29,
USS Hingham PF-30, USS Grand Rapids PF-31, USS Woonsocket PF-32, Toledo PF-33 |
|
Consolidated Steel
Corp., Wilmington, California |
|
MC-1445 to 1462 (Reciprocating
Steam / 18
built) USS Long Beach PF-34, USS Belfast PF-35, USS Glendale PF-36, USS San Pedro PF-37,
USS Coronado PF-38, USS Ogden PF-39, USS Eugene PF-40, USS El USS Paso PF-41,
USS Van Buren PF-42, USS Orange PF-43, USS Corpus Christi PF-44, USS Hutchinson PF-45,
USS Bisbee PF-46, USS Gallup
PF-47, USS Rockford PF-48, USS Muskogee PF-49, USS Carson City PF-50, USS Burlington PF-51 |
|
Froemming Bros.Inc.,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
|
MC-1477 to 1480 (Reciprocating
Steam / 4
built) USS Allentown PF-52, USS Machias PF-53, USS Sabdusky PF-54, USS Bath PF-55 |
|
Globe Shipbuilding
Co.Inc., Superior, Wisconsin |
|
MC-1463 to 1468 (Reciprocating
Steam / 6
built) USS Covington PF-56, USS Sheboygan PF-57, USS Abilene PF-58, USS Beaufort PF-59,
USS Charlotte PF-60, USS Maniwotoc PF-61 |
|
Globe Shipbuilding
Co.Inc., Duluth, Minnesota |
|
MC-1475 to 1476 (Reciprocating
Steam / 2
built) USS Gladwyne PF-62, USS Moberly PF-63 |
|
Kaiser Cargo Inc.
(Richmond Yard No.4), Richmond, California |
|
MC-1421 to 1432 (Reciprocating
Steam / 12
built) USS Tacoma PF-3, USS Sausalito PF-4, USS Hoquiam PF-5, USS Pasco PF-6,
USS Albuquerque
PF-7, USS Everett PF-8, USS Pocatello PF-9, USS Browsville PF-10, USS Grand Forks PF-11,
USS Casper PF-12, USS Pueblo PF-13, USS Grand Island PF-14 |
|
Leathem D.Smith
Shipbuilding Co., Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin |
|
MC-1488 to 1495 (Reciprocating
Steam / 8
built) USS Knoxille PF-64, USS Uniontown PF-65, USS Reading PF-66, USS Peoria PF-67,
USS Brunswick PF-68, USS Davenport PF-69, USS Evansville PF-70, USS New Bedford PF-71 |
|
Walsh-Kaiser Co.,
Providence, Rhode Island |
|
MC-1654 to 1674 (Reciprocating
Steam / 21
built) HMS Anguilla K500, HMS Antigua K501, HMS Ascension K502, HMS Bahams K503,
HMS Barbados
K504, HMS Caicos K505, HMS Cayman K506, HMS Dominica K507, HMS
Gold Coast K584, HMS Hong Kong
K585, HMS Montserrat K586, HMS Nyasaland K587, HMS Papua K588, HMS Pitcairn K589,
HMS
St.Helena K590, HMS Sarawak K591, HMS Seychelles K592, HMS Perim K593, HMS Somaliland
K594, HMS Tortola K595, HMS Zanzibar K596 |
 |
| Design: S4-S2-BB3 |
Kaiser Co.Inc.,
Vancouver, Washington |
| Escort Carrier /
CVE |
MC-1092 to 1141
(Reciprocating - Steam / 50 built) USS Casablanca CVE-55, USS Liscome Bay
CVE-56, USS Coral Sea CVE-57, USS Corregidor CVE-58, USS Mission Bay
CVE-59, USS Guadacanal CVE-60, USS Manila Bay
CVE-61,
USS Natoma Bay CVE-62, USS Midway CVE-63, USS Tripoli CVE-64, USS Wake
Island CVE-65, USS White Plains CVE-66, USS Solomons CVE-67, USS Kalinin
Bay CVE-68, USS Kasaan Bay CVE-69, USS Fanshaw Bay
CVE-70,
USS Kitkun Bay CVE-71, USS Tulagi CVE-72, USS Gambier Bay CVE-73, USS
Nehenta Bay CVE-74, USS Hoggatt Bay CVE-75, USS Kadashan Bay CVE-76, USS
Marcus Island CVE-77, USS Savo Island CVE-78, USS Ommaney Bay
CVE-79, USS Petrof Bay CVE-80, USS Rudyerd BAy CVE-81, USS
Saginaw Bay CVE-82, USS Sargent Bay CVE-83, USS Shamrock Bay CVE-84, USS
Shipley Bay CVE-85, USS Sitkoh Bay CVE-86, USS Steamer Bay CVE-87, USS
Cape Esperance CVE-88, USS Takanis Bay CVE-89, USS Thetis Bay CVE-90, USS
Makassar Strait CVE-91, USS Windham Bay CVE-92, USS Makin Island CVE-93,
USS Lunga Point CVE-94, USS Bismark Sea CVE-95, USS Salamaua CVE-96, USS
Hollandia CVE-97, USS Kwajalein CVE-98, USS Admiralty
Island CVE-99, USS Bougainville CVE-100, USS Matanikau CVE-101, USS Attu
CVE-102, USS Roi CVE-103 and USS Munda CVE-104 |
| In 1942 the Allies
were still suffering severe shipping losses and the US Navy had turned to
converting merchant hulls to escort aircraft carriers (CVE), finally
concentrating their attention on converting C3-type ships from the
Maritime Commission's merchant ship programme in an attempt to provide
more supply lines with some form of air cover. However,
with a growing need for even more aircraft carriers the Navy again turned
to the Maritime Commission with a request for more tonnage and it was
agreed that 50 escort carriers should be built by them, under Commission
contracts and with the Commission's style of ship designation. The
contracts were awarded to the Kaiser consortium, the plan being to
construct the carriers at their 12-way shipyard at Vancouver, Washington,
as soon as they had completed their LST programme (see S3-M2-K2 type). But
the Navy objected to this arrangement on the grounds that it did not want
its ships built by the multiple production methods, and the argument was
finally submitted to the White House for a decision. In
June 1 942 the President decided that the contracts would stand, but
allowed that the ships be designed by the Commission and constructed to
normal commercial marine practice under their supervision, with the Navy
specifications already applied to the C3 converted ships used wherever
possible. The hull form
finally developed was from the Commission's own P1 design plus the Navy
requirements, a special feature being the design of the flight deck —
which extended the whole length of the ship. They were the first escort
carriers designed and built as such from the keel up and were therefore of
a greatly improved design, differing from the converted ships of the
'Bogue'-class which had been found difficult to land on in light airs.
Another feature was that they were built with square transom sterns, with
the 5-inch gun tub mounted right aft, under the overhang of the flight
deck. Preparation for
the multiple production of such complex vessels took longer than expected
and instead of the first delivery being made in February 1 943 it was not
made until the July. But once under way production proceeded rapidly, the
50th vessel being completed exactly one year after the first. The vessels
were nicknamed 'Jeep carriers', this not only due to their small
dimensions and mobility but also to speed of completion of the series, the
longest building time being eight months and the shortest, three and a
half months. One
difficulty concerned the main machinery for the ships, for the entire
output of turbines and diesel engines in the United States was already
allocated, with no possibility of producing 50 more engine sets at short
notice. Instead, the ships were fitted with Skinner Uniflow reciprocating
steam engines, these driving twin screws but not quite reaching the
hoped-for 20 knots speed. Two exhaust outlets vented outboard and under
the flight deck on each side, towards the stern. Known
as the 'Casablanca' class, they were all commissioned at Astoria, Oregon,
the Navy officially taking over each ship from the Maritime Commission on
the day of commissioning. Some, launched with a 'Bay' style of
nomenclature, were renamed for battles. All
but two of these sistership escort carriers served in the Pacific, where
five of them were sunk during the war and 1 1 others severely damaged —
some being in the US naval force engaged by the main Japanese fleet in the
Leyte Gulf in October 1944 and others in the task force continually
attacked by Japanese Kamikaze aircraft at Lingayen, in the Philippines,
during January 1945. These damaged vessels were disposed of for scrapping
soon after the war. The two vessels to serve in the Atlantic were the
KASAAN BAY and the GUADALCANAL, the latter leading the force which
captured the German submarine U.505 off the Azores in June 1944. After
the war the class became the 'Anzio' class, for the lead ship had been
scrapped in 1947 and the second ship had been lost in 1943. Accordingly
the class took the name of the third vessel completed. After 1950 34
vessels still remained. Ten were reclassed as escort helicopter aircraft
carriers (CVHE) and 23 were reclassed as utility aircraft carriers (CVU)
in 1955. The remaining ship, the THETIS BAY, was reclassed in the same
year, becoming an assault helicopter transport (CVHA) for use by the
Marine Corps in amphibious landings. Four years later she was again
reclassed — to LPH — an amphibious assault ship, whilst 13 others
became aircraft ferry ships (AKV). Also in 1959 17 others were stricken
from the US Navy for scrapping, and the remaining three were assigned for
operation by the Military Sea Transportation Service and given the
designation T-CVU. However,
the AKV's mentioned above did not last long in their new guise, being
disposed of during the period 1959-60. The
AKV category embraced a total of 36 former escort carriers (AKV 8-AKV 43)
of the former CVE classes (Bogue, Casablanca and Commencement Bay), all
being reclassified AKV (as the 'Kula Gulf class) in May 1959. This
classification was made when it was recognised that, if the vessels became
reactivated, they could only be used as aircraft ferries, for they lacked
the equipment to operate modern planes and helicopters. Only a few of
these AKV's served into the 1960's, although the last ones were not
stricken from the official US Navy List until the 1970's. Drawing shows a
typical Casblanca-Class Escort Carrier in his WWII configuration. |
| Design:
S4-SE2-BD1 |
Consolidated
Steel Corporation, Wilmington, California |
| Amphibious
Attack Transport / APA |
MC-1850
to 1882 (32 Built / Turbine) USS Gilliam APA-57, USS Appling APA-58, USS
Audrain APA-59, USS Banner APA-60, USS Barrow APA-61, USS Berrien APA-62,
USS Bladen APA-63, USS Bracken APA-64, USS Briscoe APA-65, USS Brule
APA-66, USS Burleson APA-67, USS Butte APA-68, USS Carisle APA-69, USS
Carteret APA-70, USS Catron APA-71, USS Clarendon APA-72, USS Cleburne
APA-73, USS Colusa APA-74, USS Cortland APA-75, USS Crenshaw APA-76, USS
Crittenden APA-77, USS Cullman APA-78, USS Dawson APA-79, USS Elkhart
APA-80, USS Fallon APA-81, USS Fergus APA-82, USS Fillmore APA-83, USS
Garrard APA-84, USS Gasconade APA-85, USS Geneva APA-86, USS Niagara
APA-87, USS Presidio APA-88 |
